Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
58 pending office actions • 9 art units • 37 examiners • 0 of 58 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 449 patents granted in the last 365 days
Pioneer Hi-bred International Inc. currently has 60 pending office actions in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. These actions are handled by 38 distinct examiners, which indicates a significant amount of examiner overlap and concentrated review. The technical scope is relatively narrow, with prosecution occurring in only 10 distinct art units.
KEOGH, MATTHEW R is the busiest examiner, overseeing 5 busiest examiner pending actions. This concentration of 5 actions out of 60 total pending office actions shows that KEOGH, MATTHEW R has a notable role in the company's current prosecution. The ratio of 38 distinct examiners to 60 pending office actions suggests that many examiners are managing multiple matters, which may lead to more consistent prosecution outcomes within the 10 distinct art units. Practitioners should focus on the specific preferences of these 38 distinct examiners, as their repeated interactions with the portfolio could influence overall strategy. The concentration in 10 distinct art units further suggests a focused technical approach within the biotechnology sector.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 12 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 12 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 + other | 5 (9%) |
| §103 only | 12 (21%) |
| §102 only | 1 (2%) |
| §112 only | 9 (16%) |
| Double-patenting only | 2 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 11 (19%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (31%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 5 | 78.3% | +14.5% |
| SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 5 | 76.9% | +14.4% |
| KUBELIK, ANNE R | 2 | 75.8% | -0.7% |
| MEYER, GEORGE WILLIAM | 2 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| FAN, WEIHUA | 2 | 83.4% | +12.6% |
| STEPHENS, REBECCA JOHANNA | 2 | 67.3% | +29.3% |
| SHEN, YANXIN NMN | 2 | 90.0% | +22.5% |
| SHARMA, SANTOSH | 2 | 73.5% | +28.9% |
| KINGDON, CATHY | 2 | 80.3% | +2.5% |
| JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | 2 | 87.5% | +21.9% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 4 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18249891 | DOUBLED HAPLOID INDUCER | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | 19d overdue |
| 19028415 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR STATURE MODIFICATION IN PLANTS | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
| 18840335 | MULTIPLE DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES AND GENOMIC STACKS THEREOF | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | — |
| 18589982 | SOYBEAN VARIETY 5PGBU05 | KINGDON, CATHY | — |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18064423 | UTILIZATION OF PERICARP COLOR1 (P1) AND OTHER ANTHOCYANIN GENES AS SEED MARKERS FOR WHEAT | STOCKDALE, JESSICA NICOLE | 18d overdue |
| 17792124 | TWO-STEP GENE SWAP | FAN, WEIHUA | 2d overdue |
| 18006423 | PLANT REGULATORY ELEMENTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | DELEO, VICTORIA LYNN | 39d |
| 19106400 | PRODUCTION OF LEGHEMOGLOBIN IN PLANTS | MEYER, GEORGE WILLIAM | — |
| 18881874 | GUIDE RNA TRAPPED GENOME EDITING | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | — |
| 18989368 | WHEAT VARIETY 6PYZU31B | KINGDON, CATHY | — |
| 18953224 | EDITED NAC GENES IN PLANTS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | — |
| 18859791 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS IN DICOT PLANTS | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | — |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17057220 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED BREEDING BY MODULATING RECOMBINATION RATES | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 97d overdue |
| 17052320 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR HOMOLOGY-DIRECTED REPAIR OF CAS ENDONUCLEASE MEDIATED DOUBLE STRAND BREAKS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 70d overdue |
| 18249891 | DOUBLED HAPLOID INDUCER | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | 19d overdue |
| 17792124 | TWO-STEP GENE SWAP | FAN, WEIHUA | 2d overdue |
| 18067345 | GENERATING MAIZE PLANTS WITH ENHANCED RESISTANCE TO NORTHERN LEAF BLIGHT | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 28d |
| 17658351 | SYNCHRONIZED BREEDING AND AGRONOMIC METHODS TO IMPROVE CROP PLANTS | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 61d |
| 19372398 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION AND REGULATED EXPRESSION OF GENES IN PLANTS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | — |
| 19028415 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR STATURE MODIFICATION IN PLANTS | FAN, WEIHUA | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1663 | 33 |
| 1662 | 9 |
| 1636 | 2 |
| 1792 | 1 |
| 1654 | 1 |
| 1616 | 1 |
| 1699 | 1 |
| 1634 | 1 |
| 1681 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19372398 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION AND REGULATED EXPRESSION OF GENES IN PLANTS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 29, 2025 |
| 19341179 | MAIZE HYBRID X08V068 | KUBELIK, ANNE R | 1663 | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 26, 2025 |
| 19065085 | SOYBEAN VARIETY 5PSDW72 | HWU, JUNE | — | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 27, 2025 |
| 19106400 | PRODUCTION OF LEGHEMOGLOBIN IN PLANTS | MEYER, GEORGE WILLIAM | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 25, 2025 |
| 19028415 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR STATURE MODIFICATION IN PLANTS | FAN, WEIHUA | — | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 17, 2025 |
| 19024803 | INSECTICIDAL PROTEINS AND METHODS FOR THEIR USE | STEPHENS, REBECCA JOHANNA | 1663 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2025 |
| 18881874 | GUIDE RNA TRAPPED GENOME EDITING | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | — | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 07, 2025 |
| 19008379 | GENOME EDITED FINE MAPPING AND CAUSAL GENE IDENTIFICATION | SHARMA, SANTOSH | 1663 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 02, 2025 |
| 18989368 | WHEAT VARIETY 6PYZU31B | KINGDON, CATHY | 1663 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2024 |
| 18953224 | EDITED NAC GENES IN PLANTS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2024 |
| 18952029 | Sorghum Hybrid R20Y2043 | STEPHENS, REBECCA JOHANNA | 1663 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2024 |
| 18935752 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS TO INCREASE YIELD THROUGH MODIFICATIONS OF FEA3 GENOMIC LOCUS AND ASSOCIATED LIGANDS | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 1663 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 04, 2024 |
| 18859791 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS IN DICOT PLANTS | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 24, 2024 |
| 18909405 | METHODS FOR CLONAL PLANT PRODUCTION | KUMAR, VINOD | 1663 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 08, 2024 |
| 18822242 | MADS BOX PROTEINS AND IMPROVING AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS IN PLANTS | BYRNES, DAVID R | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 01, 2024 |
| 18841562 | CROSS TALK MODULATORS AND METHODS OF USE | ORDAZ, CHRISTIAN JOSE | 1663 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 26, 2024 |
| 18814176 | PLANT DERIVED INSECTICIDAL PROTEINS AND METHODS FOR THEIR USE | RADOSAVLJEVIC, ALEKSANDAR | 1662 | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 23, 2024 |
| 18840944 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR ADVANCED BREEDING THROUGH TARGETED CHROMOSOME ENGINEERING | MEYER, GEORGE WILLIAM | — | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 23, 2024 |
| 18840335 | MULTIPLE DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES AND GENOMIC STACKS THEREOF | JOHNSON, EMILY KATHARINE | 1662 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 21, 2024 |
| 18780871 | PLANT REGULATORY ELEMENTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | BOGGS, RUSSELL T | 1663 | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2024 |
| 18765988 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF MODIFYING A PLANT GENOME TO PRODUCE A MS1 OR MS5 MALE-STERILE PLANT | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 1663 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 08, 2024 |
| 18724926 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PREDICTING PHENOTYPE | WENG, PEI YONG | — | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 27, 2024 |
| 18646067 | MOLECULAR BREEDING METHODS | PAGE, BRENT T | 1663 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2024 |
| 18641717 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN PLANTS | SHARMA, SANTOSH | 1663 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 22, 2024 |
| 17786117 | COMPOSITIONS AND GENOME EDITING METHODS FOR IMPROVING GRAIN YIELD IN PLANTS | STOCKDALE, JESSICA NICOLE | 1663 | §102§103§112DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Apr 15, 2024 |
| 18589895 | SOYBEAN VARIETY 5PQVP10 | PAGE, BRENT T | 1663 | DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2024 |
| 18589982 | SOYBEAN VARIETY 5PGBU05 | KINGDON, CATHY | 1663 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2024 |
| 18686677 | SILAGE INOCULANTS FOR INHIBITION OF ACETOBACTER | ZILBERING, ASSAF | 1792 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 26, 2024 |
| 18684093 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR GRAY LEAF SPOT RESISTANCE | WILLIAMS, KEITH RICHARD | 1663 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 15, 2024 |
| 18544882 | METHODS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF VARIANT RECOGNITION SITES FOR RARE-CUTTING ENGINEERED DOUBLE-STRAND-BREAK-INDUCING AGENTS AND COMPOSITIONS AND USES THEREOF | REGA, KYLE THOMAS | 1636 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 19, 2023 |
| 18567214 | AGRONOMIC PRACTICES AND SUSTAINABILITY METHODS INVOLVING YIELD TRAITS | SPEED, DEQUANTARIUS JAVON | 1663 | §103 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Dec 05, 2023 |
| 18513905 | MAIZE EVENT DP-051291-2 AND METHODS FOR DETECTION THEREOF | MEADOWS, CHRISTINA L | 1663 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2023 |
| 18458232 | INSECTICIDAL PROTEINS AND METHODS FOR THEIR USE | LIEB, JEANETTE M | 1654 | §101§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 30, 2023 |
| 18362036 | WHEAT MS1 POLYNUCLEOTIDES, POLYPEPTIDES, AND METHODS OF USE | BOGGS, RUSSELL T | 1663 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 31, 2023 |
| 18351638 | WHEAT SEED PRODUCTION | HIRT, ERIN E | 1616 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 13, 2023 |
| 18251800 | PREDICTIVE PESTICIDE RESISTANCE MAP GENERATION AND USE | DRAPEAU, SIMEON PAUL | — | §101§102§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 04, 2023 |
| 18250469 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR GENOME MODIFICATION | CHATTERJEE, JAYANTA | 1662 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 25, 2023 |
| 18249891 | DOUBLED HAPLOID INDUCER | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | 1663 | §112 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Apr 20, 2023 |
| 18248933 | ENGINEERED CAS ENDONUCLEASE VARIANTS FOR IMPROVED GENOME EDITING | WARD, AARON DUREL | 1636 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 13, 2023 |
| 18167247 | SOYBEAN VARIETY 5PUDM32 | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 10, 2023 |
| 18006423 | PLANT REGULATORY ELEMENTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | DELEO, VICTORIA LYNN | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 39d | Pending | Jan 23, 2023 |
| 18088151 | Inverse Modeling for Characteristic Prediction from Multi-Spectral and Hyper-Spectral Remote Sensed Datasets | BEVERIDGE, CONNOR HAMMOND | — | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 23, 2022 |
| 18067345 | GENERATING MAIZE PLANTS WITH ENHANCED RESISTANCE TO NORTHERN LEAF BLIGHT | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | 28d | Pending | Dec 16, 2022 |
| 18064423 | UTILIZATION OF PERICARP COLOR1 (P1) AND OTHER ANTHOCYANIN GENES AS SEED MARKERS FOR WHEAT | STOCKDALE, JESSICA NICOLE | 1663 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 18d overdue | Pending | Dec 12, 2022 |
| 17995246 | NOVEL INSECTICIDAL TOXIN RECEPTORS AND METHODS OF USE | BAUSCH, SARAE L | 1699 | §103 | Final Rejection | 71d overdue | Pending | Sep 30, 2022 |
| 17904983 | SORGHUM DOUBLED HAPLOID PRODUCTION SYSTEM | MEADOWS, CHRISTINA L | 1663 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 25, 2022 |
| 17904736 | NOVEL CRISPR-CAS SYSTEMS FOR GENOME EDITING | PENNINGTON, KATIE LEIGH | 1634 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2022 |
| 17818060 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CELLULAR REPROGRAMMING OF A PLANT CELL | BYRNES, DAVID R | 1662 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 08, 2022 |
| 17792124 | TWO-STEP GENE SWAP | FAN, WEIHUA | 1663 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 2d overdue | Pending | Jul 11, 2022 |
| 17786137 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING GRAIN YIELD IN PLANTS | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 1663 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 16, 2022 |
| 17658351 | SYNCHRONIZED BREEDING AND AGRONOMIC METHODS TO IMPROVE CROP PLANTS | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 1663 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 61d | Pending | Apr 07, 2022 |
| 17581145 | METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL GENES FOR MODULATING PLANT AGRONOMIC TRAITS | LOGSDON, CHARLES | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 21, 2022 |
| 17578554 | Cotton Variety 11PGRF33 | KUBELIK, ANNE R | 1663 | §103 | Final Rejection | 16d | Pending | Jan 19, 2022 |
| 17618926 | DONOR DESIGN STRATEGY FOR CRISPR-CAS9 GENOME EDITING | OYEYEMI, OLAYINKA A | 1681 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 14, 2021 |
| 17404109 | MULTIPLE DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES AND GENOMIC STACKS THEREOF | ZHONG, WAYNESHAOBIN | 1662 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 17, 2021 |
| 17383580 | TERMINATOR SEQUENCE FOR GENE EXPRESSION IN PLANTS | BUI, PHUONG T | 1663 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | 299d overdue | Pending | Jul 23, 2021 |
| 17057220 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED BREEDING BY MODULATING RECOMBINATION RATES | SULLIVAN, BRIAN JAMES | 1663 | §103 | Final Rejection | 97d overdue | Pending | Nov 20, 2020 |
| 17052320 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR HOMOLOGY-DIRECTED REPAIR OF CAS ENDONUCLEASE MEDIATED DOUBLE STRAND BREAKS | KEOGH, MATTHEW R | 1663 | §112 | Final Rejection | 70d overdue | Pending | Nov 02, 2020 |
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